JP2022047472A - Riveting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method and apparatus for diagnosing and remedying faults in an industrial machine such as a riveting system.SOLUTION: The method comprises the steps of: identifying a first state associated with an industrial machine; identifying at least one second state associated with the industrial machine based on the first state; for each identified second state, determining a state time associated with the second state; determining a fault indicator condition in response to determining, based on the at least one second state and the respective state times, that the industrial machine has spent a time period different than a predetermined time period in at least one of the at least one second state; generating, in response to determining the fault indication, diagnostic information comprising an indication of the one of the at least one second state; and outputting the diagnostic information in a user interface of the industrial machine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to methods and devices for the operation, diagnosis and resolution of failures of industrial machines. In particular, the invention relates to, but not limited to, methods and devices for diagnosing and resolving failures in rivet systems.

During operation, the industrial machine relies on the system inputs and outputs for the system to determine the exact time to transition through the machine's operating sequence, and the timing or presence of these signals is ultimately It may cause a failure that is difficult to detect because it changes over time with gradual undetectable changes that lead to a failure state. For example, during the transition of an industrial machine's operating sequence from one state to another, the industrial machine may provide corresponding input and output signals. In certain situations, if an error occurs during the operation of an industrial machine, the input and output signals provided by the industrial machine may not be the expected values or may not be provided within the expected time. , Indicates the existence of a failure. However, industrial machines are capable of many conditions and are often large and complex with corresponding failures. This can make it difficult for an operator of an industrial machine to determine in which state the machine is currently operating or in which state the failure has occurred. Therefore, there is a need for methods and devices for diagnosing and resolving failures in industrial machines such as rivet systems.

An object of one or more of the embodiments described herein is to prevent or mitigate at least one of the tasks described above.

According to the first embodiment described herein, a method of diagnosing a failure of an industrial machine is provided. The method comprises a step of identifying a first state associated with the industrial machine and a step of identifying at least one second state associated with the industrial machine based on the first state. For the second state, the industrial machine is in at least one second state based on the step of determining the state time associated with the second state and at least one second state and each state time. One of at least one of the second states, depending on the step of determining the failure indicator condition according to the determination that at least one of the above has spent a period different from the predetermined period, and the determination of the failure indication. It includes a step of generating diagnostic information including a display and a step of outputting the diagnostic information in a user interface of an industrial machine.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, diagnostic information can be generated based on the information associated with at least one second state of the state machine that models the operation of the industrial machine. The at least one second state may be the currently active state of the state machine. Based on the diagnostic information output from the user interface of the industrial machine, the operator may determine in which state the machine is currently operating or in which state the failure occurred.

The method may further include a step of maintaining a state history and associated state time during the operation of the industrial machine, the second state and the step of identifying the state time associated with the second state. Includes identifying a second state and associated state time from the history of the state and the associated state time. The history of states and the associated state times may be stored in a circular buffer. The circular buffer may contain a pointer to a memory location that stores the currently active state of the industrial machine. It will be appreciated that the use of a circular buffer can further improve the operating speed of the method according to the first aspect of the invention. The history of states and associated state times may also be stored in any fixed size buffer.

The method may further include copying the contents of a predetermined number of data entries in the history of the state and the associated state time, depending on the determination of the failure indicator condition. For example, the predetermined number may be all of the current entries. In this way, overwriting after the entry (eg, if the entry is stored in a circular buffer or other fixed size buffer) does not erase information that can be used to diagnose problems within the industrial machine. .. In fact, it will be appreciated that for some industrial machines, state transitions occur so quickly that relevant information can be lost from the state history data immediately after a failure is detected.

The state time associated with each of the at least one second state may be based on the value of the global timer at the time of transition to the second state, because the global timer synchronizes all operations of the industrial machine. Used by industrial machinery. By relying on the value of the global timer for the state time, the state history can be cross-checked with the I / O signal, providing an additional mechanism that enables the diagnosis of failures in industrial machines.

The user interface may further include a step to generate a display of the state history of the industrial machine, which is the current state of the industrial machine, the state that is active after the current state, and the state that was active before the current state. Includes the state and the state time associated with the current state.

The method may further include displaying the user interface on the human machine interface of the industrial machine. Industrial machines often have a human-machine interface that can display only a limited amount of information and rarely refresh the display. User interfaces generated according to the techniques described herein are particularly adapted to the technical limitations of human-machine interfaces, which are generally equipped with industrial machines.

The user interface may further include an indication of the transition path followed by the industrial machine to reach the current state.

The method may further include a step of providing a state-forced user interface element in the user interface, transitioning the industrial machine to a predetermined state by selecting the state-forced user interface element. For example, the state forced user interface may force the industrial machine to transition to a preset state (eg, start state or initial state), or force the industrial machine to transition to a state selected by the operator. May be good. By forcing an industrial machine to transition to a particular state, the industrial machine may perform the actions associated with that state.

The method may further include the step of continuing the maintenance of the state history and associated state time during the operation of the industrial machine after the selection of the state forced user interface element. This feature allows continuous diagnostic actions to be performed on industrial machines even after operator-forced actions. In this way, the operator may force the industrial machine into a particular condition (eg, a condition suspected to be the source of the fault condition) and continue to monitor the operation of the industrial machine.

The step of generating the diagnostic output may further include processing the second state and state time information to generate an output indicating the timing of the state transition. The method may further include a step of providing a time-calculated user interface element configured to display with an output indicating the timing of the state transition, the time-calculated user interface in the output indicating the timing of the state transition by the operator. It is configured to be able to select two positions of and output the period between the two selected positions. Time-calculated user interface elements allow users to easily determine how much time they spend in that state.

The method is a step of identifying a change in the I / O signal associated with an industrial machine and a step of assigning a value indicating the change to a status indicator associated with the I / O signal, the assignment of which is predetermined. Based on the diagnostic information in the user interface of the industrial machine, the step of assigning, which is configured to last for a period of time, the step of generating diagnostic information including the display of the current value of the I / O signal and the current value of the status indicator. It may further include a step of outputting a diagnostic output.

According to the second embodiment described herein, a method of diagnosing a failure of an industrial machine is provided. The method is a step of identifying a change in the I / O signal associated with an industrial machine and a step of assigning a value indicating the change to a status indicator associated with the I / O signal, the assignment of which is predetermined. Based on the diagnostic information in the user interface of the industrial machine, the step to assign, the step to generate diagnostic information including the display of the current value of the I / O signal and the current value of the status indicator, which is configured to last for a period of time. Includes a step to output diagnostic output. By updating the status indicator with a value configured to last for a given period of time, it is possible to display changes in the I / O signal to the types of human-machine interfaces often provided to industrial machines. In particular, state changes can be displayed on a human-machine interface with a relatively slow refresh rate. The diagnostic output may be diagnostic information or may be output based on the diagnostic information.

The step of generating diagnostic information may be performed at each refresh interval of the human-machine interface of the industrial machine. The predetermined period may be longer than the refresh rate of the human-machine interface of the industrial machine. For example, the predetermined period may be two or more refresh periods of the human-machine interface of an industrial machine.

The method may further include the step of resetting the status indicator associated with the I / O signal after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. The step of outputting diagnostic information in the user interface of an industrial machine may further include outputting diagnostic information using an indicator with four modes of operation, the four modes of operation where the I / O signal is low. There is a first mode indicating that the high signal has not been received within the predetermined period in the past, and the I / O signal is low, but the state has changed within the predetermined period in the past. The second mode shown, the I / O signal is high, and the third mode indicating that a state change has occurred during a predetermined period in the past, and the I / O signal is high, the predetermined time in the past. Includes a fourth mode indicating that it has not changed during the period of.

The I / O signal may be one of a plurality of I / O signals, and the status indicator associated with the I / O signal may be associated with the plurality of I / O signals for diagnosis. The information may indicate a change to any of the plurality of I / O signals.

The method further comprises maintaining a diagnostic signal history buffer for multiple I / O signals, further such that the diagnostic signal history buffer provides a historical display of changes in any of the multiple I / O signals. It is configured.

The diagnostic signal history buffer may include multiple slots, where each slot contains an entry for each of the plurality of I / O signals, and each of the slots contains multiple I / O signals at different time points in the past. Representing the state, the diagnostic output may be based on a slot in the diagnostic signal history buffer referenced by the index so that the index references the next slot in the diagnostic signal history buffer at a given frequency. Will be updated.

The method may further include a step of attenuating the display of changes for a plurality of I / O signals stored in at least one of the slots at a predetermined frequency. The step of attenuating the display of changes for a plurality of I / O signals stored in the slot may include resetting the value stored in the slot.

The diagnostic information may include bits for each of the plurality of I / O signals, each slot of the diagnostic signal history buffer contains bits for each of the plurality of I / O signals, and the method comprises a plurality. A step of updating the value stored in each slot by logically combining the diagnostic information with the value stored in the slot in response to the generation of diagnostic information indicating a change for at least one of the I / O signals. And may further include a step to reset the value of the currently indexed slot. It will be appreciated that the currently indexed slot may be reset before or after updating the index to the next slot. The number of slots may be greater than or equal to the number of I / O signals in a plurality of I / O signals.

The predetermined frequency may be based on the total number of slots in the diagnostic signal history buffer and the refresh period of the human-machine interface of the industrial machine.

The step of assigning a value indicating a change to the status indicator may further include storing the time associated with the change. Storing the time associated with a change may further include recording the time indicated by the global timer at the time of the change.

The industrial machine may be a rivet machine, an adhesive dispensing machine or a flow drill system.

According to the third embodiment described herein, a system for diagnosing a failure of an industrial machine is provided. The system may further include a controller and memory for storing computer-readable instructions which may be configured to cause the controller to perform the method according to the first or second aspect of the invention.

According to the fourth embodiment described herein, industrial machinery is provided. Industrial machinery may be equipped with a system according to the embodiment described above and elsewhere herein.

It will be appreciated that where features are described above in the context of one exemplary embodiment, such features may be applied to other exemplary embodiments, if appropriate. In fact, any of the features described above and elsewhere herein can be combined in any operational combination, such combination is expressly foreseen in the present disclosure.

To the extent appropriate, the methods described herein may be performed by a suitable computer program, and thus a computer program containing processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to perform such control methods. Is provided. Such computer programs may be retained on any suitable carrier medium (which may be tangible or non-tangible carrier medium).

Here, an embodiment of the present invention will be described as a mere example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a state machine. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the rivet system. FIG. 3 schematically shows a rivet set tool 10, a rivet tape, and a rivet tape reel that supplies a sprocket to a rivet system. FIG. 4A schematically shows a tape reel. FIG. 4B schematically shows a rivet set tool supply subassembly 300 with a tape cutter assembly and a rivet sensor. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a state machine that models the sprocket supply operation of the rivet set tool. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of diagnosing an industrial machine. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary data structure that may be used to record the time of operation of an industrial machine in each of the plurality of states and the plurality of states associated with the industrial machine. FIG. 8 is a schematic of an improved diagnostic display that may be provided to an operator of an industrial machine. FIG. 8A is a schematic of an improved diagnostic display that may be provided to an operator of an industrial machine. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a diagnostic system that generates and provides diagnostic information for the continuous operation and maintenance of industrial machines, such as the rivet system shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram of improved diagnostic information that may be generated by the diagnostic system of FIG. FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary processing that may be performed to maintain the I / O signal history for diagnostic information generation. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of diagnostic output that may be provided to an operator of an industrial machine. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of diagnostic output that may be provided to an operator of an industrial machine. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of diagnostic output that may be provided to an operator of an industrial machine. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary data structure that may be used to record multiple changes to an I / O signal associated with an industrial machine. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing how the data stored in a portion of the data structure depicted in FIG. 15 can change during the operation of the techniques described herein. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of diagnostic output that may be provided to an operator of an industrial machine. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of diagnostic output that may be provided to an operator of an industrial machine.

With reference to FIG. 1, examples of exemplary state machines that may be used in connection with the techniques described herein are shown. In general, a state machine is a logical configuration containing several phases in an operation sequence called a "state". The state machine was initiated with some additional states (S1 to S5 in FIG. 1) that could become active when the required transition conditions (t1 to t9 in FIG. 1) became true. It has an initial state (S0 in FIG. 1) that sometimes becomes active. A transition is a logical condition consisting of a control input consisting of a timing signal, an input signal, and an output signal, prioritized by the developer, and optimally sequenced for an arbitrarily given set of operating conditions. You can try to pass by any route. The state machine can be any one of a set number of states, depending on the previous state and the current value of the control input. During operation, the state machine transitions from the initial state or the current state to one or more different states in a specified order when the conditions defining the transition are met.

The exemplary state machine 100 includes six states represented by the values S0-S5. Each state is linked by a transition so that each transition has a source (start state) and a destination (end state). If the evaluation of the condition evaluates to "true" (ie, if the condition is met), the state machine 100 transitions from the source state to the destination state associated with the transition, typically other transitions. The state is associated with each transition so that it stops evaluating and prioritizing the sequence of machines. It evaluates lower priority transitions, for example, by setting the condition that there are no active higher priority transitions in each state, or when the conditions for higher priority transitions are met. It can be executed by skipping the logic that was created.

In the exemplary state machine 100, the state S0 is a condition such that when any one of these conditions is executed, the state machine 100 transitions from S0 to one of the states S1, S2, or S3. It is linked to states S1, S2 and S3 by t1, t2 and t3, respectively. Typically, state transitions are prioritized so that if two or more transitions are active at the same time, one transition takes precedence. The states S1 and S2 are linked to the state S4 by the conditions t5 and t6, respectively, and the states S1, S3 and S4 are linked to the state S5 by the transition conditions t4, t7 and t8, respectively. The state S5 is further linked to the default state S0 by the transition condition t9.

After the state transition, the state machine 100 processes all start actions [E] associated with the newly activated state before the normal logic of the state is evaluated. The state machine 100 then performs any action designated for the state and continues to operate in the currently active state until a valid transition (t) condition becomes active. As a result, any end operation [X] of the current state is executed before transitioning to the next state of the sequence, that is, the destination state. When a state is inactive, the code or transition logic associated with that state is not executed.

By including the start action E and / or the end action X in the state, we ensure that a particular set of actions may be performed at the start and end of the state, regardless of the transition path followed by the state machine. Is useful for initializing the data used by the newly activated state and organizes the unprocessed operations before transitioning within the state sequence.

When modeling an industrial machine, the state of the state machine corresponds to the steps the industrial machine takes to perform its operation. The transition from one state to another occurs based on the input signal, time, or a combination of both provided to the industrial machine. For example, one or more state machines may be used in a rivet system to model the behavior of motion and supply logic and ensure that the system performs the desired function in response to the appropriate input signal. ..

The output from an industrial machine depends on the currently active state and the logic operating in that state, and usually the output changes only during transitions between states. In some situations, in the event of a failure, the input to the state machine may be incorrect, thus preventing the state machine from making the correct transition. This in turn causes the output signal provided by the industrial machine to deviate from the expected value or not be provided within the expected time (or at all).

State machines can allow modeling of complex industrial machines such as rivet systems, but such state machines are so large and complex that the user of the state machine understands their behavior and thus the behavior of the industrial machine. Can be difficult. As a result, it is often difficult to identify errors or failures in industrial machines modeled by complex state machines. Therefore, there is a need for methods and devices for diagnosing and resolving failures in industrial machines whose behavior is modeled by complex state machines, such as rivet systems.

A state machine as shown in FIG. 1 can be used to model the behavior of an industrial machine. In general, when a state machine is used to model the behavior of an industrial machine, the output produced at the time of performing the movement associated with each state is known in advance. If the output produced by the state machine at the time of performing the operation associated with the currently active state of the state machine is different from the expected output, if there is a delay in producing the output, or if no output is produced, then this is the state. It means that there is a malfunction in the function of the industrial machine whose operation is modeled by the machine.

In a complex industrial machine such as a rivet system, the state machine that models the operation of the industrial machine may include, for example, about 256 or more states. As a result, it can be difficult for the operator to understand the behavior of the state machine for troubleshooting purposes. In such cases, it would be useful if the operator had access to information that would allow the operator to diagnose and resolve industrial machine failures based on the currently active state of the state machine.

The techniques described herein are methods of diagnosing and resolving industrial machine failures using state machines that model the behavior of industrial machines based on the information associated with the currently active state of the state machines. And the equipment provided. An exemplary configuration will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2-8, with reference to the rivet system and examples of sprocket feeding operations performed by the rivet system.

FIG. 2 shows a rivet set tool 10 with a rivet set actuator 15 mounted on the upper arm of a conventional C-shaped frame 200 on a rivet mounting die 12 supported by a lower arm of the C-shaped frame 200. Has been done. The rivet is inserted into the work W supported on the die 12 by the tool 10, as is well known in the art. The C-shaped frame 200 is installed in a robot manipulator (not shown) so that the robot can move the work W toward and away from the work W as needed. A feeder (not shown) beside the C-frame 200 is designed to feed the rivet R from the bulk source to the set tool 10 in a predetermined controllable manner.

The set tool 10 comprises a cylindrical housing containing a reciprocating plunger that is hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically driven to translate relative to the housing. The housing has an end nose portion 14 with an annular surface for contact with the workpiece W on which the joint is formed, and the plunger reciprocates through a passage extending through the nose (most visible in FIG. 3). End with a punch (not shown). In order to insert the rivet into the work W, the plunger is driven so that the punch descends the passage extending beyond the nose 14 and comes into contact with the rivet supplied to the end of the passage in the nose 14. The continuous application of force drives the punch through the nose 14 so that the rivet is inserted into the work W.

The operation of the rivet supply system of the rivet set tool 10 can generally be modeled by a state machine such as the state machine 100 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the rivet supply device tool 300 (which may also be referred to as a rivet insertion tool) together with the rivet tape 300a. The rivet is supplied to the rivet supply device 300 by the rivet tape 300a, and the rivet 300b is arranged along the rivet tape 300a. The rivet tape 300a is wound on a reel of the spool carrier 300c and supplied from the reel through the nose assembly 300d of the rivet set tool 300 (that is, corresponding to the nose 14 of FIG. 2). The nose assembly 300d is typically provided at one end of the rivet set tool and comprises a punch (not shown). The punch moves relative to the nose assembly 300d, and the nose assembly is in a stationary or retracted position, depending on the position of the punch. If the punch extends towards the workpiece, the nose assembly is in a stationary position, if the punch does not extend towards the workpiece, leaving space between the punch and the workpiece for rivets to be placed, then the nose assembly It is in the retreat position.

4A and 4B show the supply path of the tape supply rivet set tool. FIG. 4A shows a cross section of the tape 300a wound around the spool carrier 300c, and the rivet tape on which the rivet 300b is placed passes through the tube 300e. The rivet tape 300a is supplied to the rivet set tool 10 through the tube 300e. The rivet tape 300a is pulled through a supply subsystem 300 (not shown) of the rivet set tool by a sprocket supply actuator 300f (eg, a pneumatic motor with a sprocket wheel). As shown in FIG. 4A, the tube 300e may optionally include a sensor 300g for sensing the end of the rivet tape. FIG. 4B shows a perspective view of the supply subsystem of the rivet set tool 10 with the tape cutter assembly 300h and the rivet sensor 300i.

The feed motor 300f pulls the rivet tape 300a through the nose assembly 300d until the rivet enters the rivet receiving member (not shown), and the rivet is detected by the sensor 300i shown in FIG. 4B. After that, the supply motor 300f is stopped, and the rivet is driven into the work by the actuator (not shown) of the rivet set tool 10 (not shown). After that, the supply motor 300f moves again until, for example, the next rivet is detected. Since the sensor 300g further detects that the spool has reached the end with 30 to 100 rivets remaining depending on the application, the operator of the rivet set tool 10 actively rivets the parts. You can schedule a replacement when you are not. When the tape 300a is fed through the nose assembly 300d, the used tape 300j is either wound up to the waste catcher of the fixation system or the air pressure shown in FIG. 4B with a tape cutter blade (not shown). It is cut to a manageable length by the formula tape cutter assembly 300h. It will be appreciated that in certain rivet set tools, a spring spool configuration with a pneumatic spool or a simple spool carrier may be used to feed the rivets via the spool carrier 300c.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a state machine 500 suitable for modeling a tape supply control logic that performs a rivet supply operation of the rivet set tool 10. First, when the rivet supply operation of the rivet set tool is disabled, the supply control logic is in the non-operating state, and the state machine 500 is in the default state "supply off" (S0). The termination condition t1 associated with the supply off state S0 is satisfied when the supply operation of the rivet set tool 10 is enabled (eg, by removing any machine stop input and enabling the supply control logic). Is done. When t1 is satisfied, the state machine 500 transitions from the supply off state S0 to the “ready” state (S1).

If an external stop input is detected while in the "ready" state (S1), the condition at t2 becomes active and the system returns to the "supply off" state (S0). However, if the machine stop input remains inactive, the rivet supply request is not active, and the tape cutting request is active, the condition of termination condition t4 is satisfied and the system 500 is in the "tape cutting" state (tape cutting). Transition to S3).

If the active state of the state machine 500 is the "tape cutting" state (S3), tape cutting is started and the used rivet tape 300j is cut by the tape cutter blade of the tape cutter assembly 300h. When the rivet tape 300j is cut, the end condition t9 associated with the tape cutting state (S3) is satisfied, and the state machine 500 transitions to the “cutting return” state (S7).

When the "cutting return" state (S7) becomes active, the tape cutter blade is retracted and the supply path of the used tape 300j is opened. After the tape cutter blade is retracted, the supply control logic of the rivet set tool 10 waits for the tape cutting request signal to disappear, at which point the end condition t15 becomes active and the state machine 500 is in the "ready" state (ready). Transition to S1). While in the "cut tape" state (S3) or the "return to cut" state (S7), the system does not respond to rivet supply requests, eliminating the possibility of sprocket tape movement during the tape cutting process and providing reliability of the supply. Is improved.

In the "ready" state (S1), if the stop condition or tape cutting request is not active when the supply control logic receives the "supply request" or "next supply" command signal, the end condition t3 becomes active. , The state machine 500 transitions to the "supply active" state (S2). In the transition from the "ready" state (S1) to the "supply active" state (S2), the supply pull counter is reset to zero via the termination operation.

In the "supply active" state (S2), the supply pull counter is incremented through the start operation, and while the supply control logic is in the "supply active" state (S2), the supply actuator 300f operates to press the rivet tape 300a. Pull into the nose 300d. There are four termination conditions associated with the "supply active" state (S2).

First, the nose switch sensor 300i is activated for a predetermined period of time selected according to the tool's movement conditions (stationary or retracted), or the maximum supply pull count is met by the "next supply" command. If so, the end condition t7 becomes active, and the state machine 500 transitions to the “completed” state (S6). For example, the supply control logic is "complete" if the nose switch sensor 300i is activated for the required duration (typically 0.125 seconds at rest or 0.1 seconds at rest) based on the movement of the tool. It may transition to the state (S6).

Second, if the supply actuator 300f is active for a predetermined time without the nose switch sensor 300i being active and the number of supply pull cycles is less than the permissible maximum value, eg 1 second and 3 pulls, the termination condition. When t5 is satisfied, the supply control logic 500 transitions to the “supply suspension” state (S4).

Third, when the supply actuator 300f is active for a predetermined time without the nose switch sensor 300i becoming active and the number of supply pull cycles reaches the maximum value, for example, 1 second and 3 pulls, the end condition t6 is set. When satisfied, the supply control logic 500 transitions to the “supply failure” state (S5).

Finally, when both the "supply request" and "next supply" command signals are exhausted, the end condition t8 is satisfied, the supply control logic transitions to the "ready" state (S1), and may be in progress. Supply is interrupted.

When the state machine 500 is in the “supply suspension” state (S4), the supply actuator becomes inactive and the parts of the rivet set tool 10 that performs the rivet supply (300f) return to the initial position. If the supply control logic is invalidated while the state machine 500 is in the "supply suspension" state (S4), the end condition t10 is satisfied and the state machine 500 transitions to the "supply off" state (S0). If the actuator has been inactive for a predetermined period of time, for example 0.25 seconds, the termination condition t11 is satisfied and the state machine 500 transitions to the "supply active" state (S2).

When the state machine 500 transitions to the "supply failure" state (S5), a failure code corresponding to the supply problem is set according to the state of the end of the tape sensor 300g, and the state machine 500 receives the failure confirmation signal input. It remains in the "supply failure" state (S5) until the failure confirmation signal is received, the transition t12 is satisfied, and the supply failure code becomes zero before the transition to the "supply off" state (S0) and the return. It will be reset.

If the currently active state of the supply system is the "completed" state (S6), the supply system either supplies rivets under the punch attached to the nose 300d or times out during the "next supply" command. ing. In this state, the system waits for the "supply request" command and "next supply" command that satisfy the termination condition t14 to disappear, and if the supply system is still valid, the state machine 500 is in the "ready" state (S1). ), Or if the supply control logic is invalid, the end condition t13 is satisfied, and the state machine 500 returns to the “supply off” state (S0).

As can be seen from FIG. 5, the state machine 500 is ready to deal with the failure when the cause of the failure is known in advance, such as when the rivet pull exceeds a predetermined limit value, and notify the operator of the failure. ing. However, before the failure occurs, if the performance of the rivet set tool is degraded due to an unknown problem, the operator may be in a state because the failure may be due to one of the actions performed by the industrial machine. It becomes difficult to identify a failure in the operation of an industrial machine using a machine. In such a situation, in order to identify the failure and diagnose the industrial machine, the operator moves the operation and transition path of the industrial machine by going through all kinds of transition paths in the state machine that models the operation of the industrial machine. You may need to understand the behavior associated with each state of. In the case of a complicated industrial machine such as the rivet set tool 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there may be about several hundred transition paths, and it is difficult for the operator to properly diagnose the operation of the industrial machine.

Here, with reference to FIG. 6, like the rivet set tool shown in FIG. 3, based on information related to the current and previous active states of the state machine that models the behavior of the industrial machine shown in FIG. Describes how to diagnose industrial machinery.

In FIG. 6, a flowchart showing a process for executing a diagnosis of an industrial machine is shown. In step 600, the first state associated with the industrial machine is identified. The first identified state is the currently active state of the state machine that models the function of the industrial machine. For example, with reference to the state machine 500 shown in FIG. 5, if the currently active state is the "supply active" state S2, the state S2 is associated with a first state associated with an industrial machine such as a rivet set tool. Become. Once the first state associated with the industrial machine has been identified, the process proceeds from step 600 to step 601 where further processing is performed to obtain the information associated with the first state.

In step 601 a process for identifying one or more second states associated with the industrial machine is performed based on the first state. The second state is the state of the state machine that was active at any time before the state machine transitioned to the first state. That is, the second state is a state in which the state machine transitions until it reaches the first state. For example, referring to the state machine 500 described with reference to FIG. 5, if the "supply active" state S2 is currently the active state, the second state is that the state machine 500 is to reach the "ready" state S1. Depending on the transition path followed, it may be in either the "ready" state S1 or the "supply suspension" state S4.

The state time is associated with each of the second states. The state time associated with the second state is when the state machine transitions to the second state. The state time associated with the second state can be obtained by a timer associated with the industrial machine. The timer may be a global timer that synchronizes all operations of the industrial machine. That is, the global timer may be a timer used to measure time for each aspect of an industrial machine and allow time comparison of the operation of different parts of the system.

After the state time associated with each of the plurality of second states and the second state is specified, the process proceeds from step 601 to step 602. In step 602, the state machine spends an unexpected amount of time in any of the second states, using the state time threshold for the second state and the state time associated with the second state. Determine if it was. The state-time threshold for the second state indicates the time that the industrial machine is expected to spend performing the set of actions associated with that second state. Therefore, if at least one of the second times differs from the expected state time of the second state, this indicates a failure or the performance of the industrial machine is lower than the expected performance. be able to. For example, if at least one second time exceeds the state time threshold of that second state, it can indicate a failure, or the performance of the industrial machine is lower than expected. The time spent by the industrial machine in the second state may be determined as the period between the state time associated with the second state and the state time associated with the next state in which the industrial machine transitions. Will be understood.

Considering the state machine shown in FIG. 5, the complete supply process of the rivet set tool 10 is determined by some state transitions from the end of the ready state S1 to the entry into the completed state S6. Assuming that the global time from the ready state S1 to the supply active state S2 is tm1 and the global time from the completed state S6 to the supply active state S2 is tm2, the period during which the supply process was active is (tm2-tm1). It can be decided that there is. If the time threshold associated with the supply process is th1 and (tm2-tm1) exceeds th1, the supply control logic of the rivet set tool 10 is more than previously determined to be necessary to perform the rivet supply operation. You have spent a lot of time and can therefore determine that your system may be out of order. As a result, the timing associated with the state machine of FIG. 5 can be analyzed to identify a failure in the operation of the rivet set tool 10.

However, as mentioned above, the number of states and the speed at which industrial machines transition between states are not sufficient to timely identify a particular failure by simply displaying this when a state transition occurs. May not be. This problem is exacerbated by the interfaces typically provided for use in industrial machinery. For example, to ensure that the cost is reasonable, industrial machines generally include displays that have a relatively slow refresh rate compared to the displays used in other computing devices. A second state and associated state time may also be stored as part of the process described in FIG. Optionally, the first state and the state time associated with the first state may also be stored. In some embodiments, the circulation buffer provides a particularly useful mechanism for storing state time and multiple states to allow diagnosis of industrial machinery.

When diagnosing the operation of the machine, a sequence of states and state times can be extracted from the circulation buffer 700 (FIG. 7) included in the configuration of the state machine corresponding to the latest state change pointer 701.

Tables 1-3 below show the time spent in the particular state of FIG. 5 during the "normal", "slow" and "failure" supply processes. As mentioned above, each state transition is recorded with the time the state was activated. Therefore, the period during which a particular state was active can be calculated by subtracting the time of entering that state from the time of entering the next state. By subtracting the latest state start time from the current global timer value, it is possible to determine how long the current state is active.

It can be seen in Table 1 that the normal supply involves a transition from the ready state S1 to the active state S2. The system spent 0.4 seconds in the active state S2 before transitioning to the completed state S6. In contrast, in slow supply (Table 2), the active state S2 is first transitioned, then the paused state S4 is transitioned, the second transition to the active state S2 is performed, and then the completed state. Transition to S6. During the slow supply example, the total time spent in the active state was 1.6 seconds. Finally, in the failure supply example (Table 3), the system entered the active state S2 a total of three times, one second each, without completing the supply pull, and finally transitioned to the failure state S5.

Referring to FIG. 7, a data structure may be stored that may contain the following information for each state machine in need of improved diagnosis.

Step-This value represents the current state.

Next-This value is set before calling the state machine handler function to request a transition from one state to another. This not only resets the timer, but also updates the steps, sequences and last variables, stores the new state and global transition time in the history buffer, and updates the history pointer. This value is assigned a value based on the control logic each time a transition condition (transitions t1 to t15 in the state machine 500, etc.) occurs, and advances the state machine to the next state of its operation.

Force-As described below, the techniques described herein may allow the operator to manually reset the state machine to the desired state. If the forced value is not set to "inactive", the next value is overwritten when the state machine handler function is called, the state transition is forced, and then this forced state transition is the state history. It is stored in the buffer and is deactivated again.

Last-Before the state changes, the value of the current state is stored for future reference, because it determines the behavior of a state based on the pre-transition state. This is because it is often useful.

Timer-This value represents the amount of time the current state is active and is incremented each time the state machine handler logic is executed. This value may be used to ensure a minimum time to state transition or to trigger an event-based time such as a failure.

Each time the value of the sequence-state changes, it is shifted to the least significant 8 bits of this 32-bit value, and so is the other data within the 32-bit value. Thus, this single variable stores the three active current and past states. This is especially useful for showing past states on the user interface display.

State-of-the-art-The monitored state machine each has two circular buffers (illustrated by the inner and middle rings of FIG. 7), which are entered into states for state numbers and multiple state transitions. Including time and time. The latest value is a pointer to these arrays that store the latest state transitions and is used to trace back historical data as needed for analysis.

The described state [] and time [] values provide a circular buffer for current and past states and associated times, as schematically illustrated in FIG. Conceptually and functionally, state and state time history buffers are provided by circular buffers, but it is understood that any suitable underlying data structure such as an array may be used. Will.

The circular buffer 700 of FIG. 7 contains 32 segments for each of the states and associated state times. However, it will be appreciated that the circular buffer may contain any number of segments. Each pair of corresponding segments of the circular buffer can store the state number and the associated state entry time. Circular buffer 700 includes a pointer 701 that points to a memory location in a segment of circular buffer 700. Initially, pointer 701 points to segment 0 when the industrial machine is not operating. When the industrial machine starts its operation, the state machine that models the operation of the industrial machine transitions from the default state to another state according to the transition or termination condition executed by the industrial machine as described above. The pointer 701 is then incremented to point to the next storage segment of the circular buffer 700, and the state number and the state time associated with that state are written to the segment of the circular buffer 700 pointed to by the pointer 701.

An alternative to the history structure is to store in the history buffer the current state number and the time the state was active when the state transition occurred. It may be used, for example, in systems where global timers are not available, or in systems where it is preferable to handle the active time of individual states more simply. Both methods provide similar information, but synchronization of data between multiple state machines or other diagnostic functions may not be so easy if global timers are not used.

Considering the state machine 500 shown in FIG. 5, when the state machine 500 transitions from one state to another, the pointer 701 is incremented and the new state number and the value of the global system timer are the segment entries pointed to by the pointer 701. Written in.

Then, in step 601 of FIG. 6, the determination of the second state and the associated state time is by simply decrementing the value of pointer 701 and wrapping if the value of pointer 701 is less than zero. It may be executed. In addition, the second state and state time may be displayed to the operator so that the operator can identify the second state that exceeds the time threshold.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary diagnostic display 800 that may be provided to the operator after the above-mentioned processing has been performed with reference to FIG. The display 800 includes a simplified logic flow diagram 800a that illustrates the association between the states of the state machine 500. The currently active state may be visually highlighted in the logical flow diagram 800a via a color change or other method, while the initial state is depicted by a double square around state S0. ..

Part 800b of display 800 is the currently active state, typically the state required after the currently active state that will be the same as the current state (the "next") state, before the currently active state. The state and the state time associated with the currently active state are displayed. When the currently active state of the state machine 500 is the state S4, the portion 800b has "step" as "S4", "next" as "S4", and "S2" depending on whether or not the state transition is active. Alternatively, "S0" is set, and a value in which "last" is "S2" and "timer" is the state time of the state S4 is displayed. The portion 800c of the display 800 shows the transition path that the state machine follows to reach the currently active state. For example, if the currently active state of the state machine 500 is state S4, the transition path displayed in portion 800c may be S0 (old), S1, S2, S4 (new).

Therefore, the display 800 provides the operator with information about the internal state of the industrial machine and the technical state or event related to the internal state. State Any change in the internal state of the machine is automatically detected and presented to the operator to encourage the operator to interact with the system, such as identifying and resolving system failures.

For example, the display 800 is the currently active state machine that models the behavior of the industrial machine, along with the transition path that the state machine follows to reach the currently active state and the state time associated with each state of the transition path. Provide information to the operator about the state. By using it on the display 800, the operator can identify the state in the transition path of the state machine in which the industrial machine has been operating for a longer time than expected. In this way, the operator can diagnose the failure of the industrial machine by analyzing the behavior associated with the condition.

In addition, if the industrial machine is deadlocked in a particular state, the display 800 can also force the operator to transition the industrial machine to a different state. For example, the "next" entry in section 800b of display 800 has been modified to force state jumps to eliminate deadlocks in the system or to trigger actions associated with a particular state. May be good. That is, for example, if the system is deadlocked in the "supply pause" state S4, the operator can force the state machine to transition to state S2 or state S0. In some cases, the operator can determine to which state the industrial machine is forcibly transitioned based on the logical flow diagram of the state machine 800a. In FIG. 8, it is the "next" entry in section 800b that allows the operator to force a state jump or transition by setting a forced state structural variable, but this feature is another user interface element. It will be appreciated that it may be provided by (eg, another user interface depicted in FIG. 8, or a user interface not depicted in FIG. 8). Therefore, the display 800 assists the operator in both identifying and resolving failures in the functioning of industrial machinery.

Further visualization of state transitions may be provided. If the state transitions are processed to provide display 1202 shown in FIG. 8A, the x-axis represents time and the y-axis represents the active step number, error determination can be facilitated. With the types of interfaces provided for use in industrial machinery, the time between two points on display 1202 may not be readily available. In this regard, logic analyzer-style cursor functions 1204a and 1204b, each of which can be moved by an operator along the display 1202, may be provided. The system may automatically calculate and output the period indicated by the cursors 1204a and 1204b, which allows the operator to more easily determine the time the state machine has spent on a particular state.

FIG. 9 shows a computer 900 suitable for performing, viewing and diagnosing the functions of a state machine in more detail. The computer 900 may be considered as a diagnostic system. It can be seen that the computer 900 includes a CPU 900a configured to read and execute instructions stored in the volatile memory 900b in the form of random access memory. The volatile memory 900b stores the instructions executed by the CPU 900a and the data used by those instructions.

The computer 900 further comprises non-volatile storage in the form of, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive 900c. The computer 900 further comprises an I / O interface 900d to which peripheral devices used in connection with the computer 900 are connected. More specifically, the display 900e is configured to display a graph display of the state machine or any output from the computer 900. The input device is also connected to the I / O interface 900d. Such input devices may include a keyboard 900f and a mouse 900g, or a touch screen attached to the display 900e, which allows the operator to interact with the computer 900. Input devices (900f, 900g and 900e) allow the operator to interact with the system 100. In addition, the I / O interface 900d may be connected to one or more sensors in the industrial machine. For example, when the industrial machine is a rivet system, the I / O interface 900d may be connected to a tape position sensor, a rivet presence sensor (sensor 300i, etc.) and the like.

The network interface 900h makes it possible to connect the computer 900 to a suitable computer network for receiving and transmitting data to and from other computing devices. The CPU 900a, the volatile memory 900b, the fixed storage device (disk / flash) 900c, the I / O interface 900d, and the network interface 900h are connected to each other by the bus 900i.

It will be appreciated that the arrangement of the components shown in FIG. 9 is exemplary and other arrangements may be used within the context of the techniques described herein.

A key part of the state machine sequence that controls the industrial machine is influenced by the state of the I / O signal associated with the sensors and actuators of the system. Although methods of diagnosing an industrial machine have been described with respect to the operation associated with the state machine, the techniques described herein are the operation associated with the state machine, the I / O signal associated with the industrial machine. It will be appreciated that it can be used to diagnose state machines based on, or in fact both.

However, the number of I / O signals received can be large and each I / O signal may last for only a short duration. As mentioned above, interfaces typically provided for use in industrial machines often have a relatively slow refresh rate compared to displays used in other computing devices and signal persistence. The time may be too short to be recognized on the display. Therefore, it is desirable to provide diagnostic tools and methods that operate on existing interfaces and do not require replacement with expensive interface hardware.

As an example of a standard diagnostic tool problem, an industrial machine sensor provides an I / O signal (eg, a high signal) for only 10 ms when detecting a condition of interest, and the industrial machine 100 mm. If you have a display with a screen update rate of seconds (such as a display 900e), on average, only one out of ten I / O signals from that sensor, and thus a short duration that may be too short to detect (such as a display 900e). Can only be displayed for 100 milliseconds). As such, the operator may miss a signal that can provide advance warning of a failure and allow the operator to take remedial action before the failure occurs or becomes serious. In some exemplary embodiments described herein, the diagnostic system may be configured to monitor the state history of the sensor in addition to the signals currently provided by the sensor. Diagnostic systems may be used by the operator to provide sufficient time to handle events that may represent short-duration failures and to assist in the continuous and inductive operation and maintenance of industrial machinery. It may be configured to provide output.

FIG. 10 shows the generation of diagnostic information by a diagnostic system (such as System 900) for I / O signals from sensors or actuators (not shown) of industrial machinery according to standard methods, and according to the techniques described herein. An example of the generation of improved diagnostic information for the same I / O signal is schematically shown. In FIG. 10, the time is drawn from left to right on the page. Refreshment of a display (eg, display 900e) is indicated by arrows 1002, where each arrow 1002a-1002g indicates a refreshment of the display. Shown below the refresh operation is the I / O signal 1004 received from the sensor of the industrial machine. Below the I / O signal 1004 is a standard diagnostic output 1006 provided by a known method of displaying the current state of the signal on refresh. Under diagnostic output 1006 is an improved diagnostic output 1008 generated according to the techniques described herein, and under improved diagnostic output 1008 are changes in state events 1010a-1010f. These may optionally be recorded in the historical data array, along with the time ta to t _{f where} the change occurred for later analysis and display.

Within the period depicted in FIG. 10, the signal 1004 includes three periods 1004a-c while the signal is high. For example, the signal may indicate the presence of consumable parts (eg, rivets) at the monitored location of the industrial machine. Although the signal 1004 is illustrated as binary, it is understood that the signal from which diagnostic information is generated may take any other form, eg, continuous, gradual, etc. Will be done.

The first high signal period 1004a occurs after refresh 1002a but before refresh 1002b. The diagnostic information 1006 indicates to the operator the nature of the signal 1004 during the final display refresh operation. Since the signal 1004 is low during the refresh operations 1002a and 1002b, the diagnostic information 1006 indicates the presence of the low signal following the refresh operation 1002b. Therefore, it can be seen that the diagnostic information 1006 does not provide a useful diagnosis to the operator in relation to the high signal 1004a. Given the potentially large number of sensors monitored and the speed at which signals are received, if the high signal 1004a foresaw a failure of an industrial machine, the diagnostic information 1006 will inform the operator in identifying or diagnosing the failure. It will be understood that it does not support.

The second high signal period 1004b overlaps with the refresh 1002c time. Therefore, diagnostic information 1006a is provided to the operator to indicate the high signal 1004b. The diagnostic information 1006a persists until the next refresh 1002d, at which point the signal 1004 is low, so the diagnostic information 1006 returns to indicate that the signal 1004 is low. The final high signal 1004c is received after refresh 1002d but ends before refresh 1002e. Therefore, the diagnostic information 1006 does not provide information about the high signal 1004c because a single high output 1006a covers both events.

In order to generate the improved diagnostic signal 1008, the diagnostic system is configured to maintain the state change information of the signal 1004 for a predetermined duration. When the signal changes state (represented by the diamond in FIG. 10), the state indicator is updated to reflect the change of state. The status indicator may be stored in the memory 900b of the diagnostic system 900.

The state change update is shown to correspond to a predetermined period, typically two refresh periods, sufficient to allow the display of the state change contained in the improved diagnostic signal 1008. It lasts for about 1 to 2 seconds, or 200 ms in FIG. The status indicator may take any suitable form, but for a binary signal such as the signal 1004 shown in FIG. 10, the status indicator is a single bit that is conveniently and efficiently added to the standard diagnostic bits. It will be understood that it can take the form of. It will be further understood that the length of time the display lasts depends on the nature of the signal received from the I / O device, as well as the refresh rate of the display device.

By way of example, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the improved diagnostic signal includes a first portion 1008a and a second portion 1008b. The first portion 1008a of the diagnostic signal indicates the current value (or value at the last refresh point) of the status indicator of the I / O signal and can be sampled in the same manner as the standard diagnostic 1006, but the second portion. Reference numeral 1008b indicates whether or not the signal 1004 has changed during the period preceding the display refresh operation, and is sampled together with the standard diagnostic state 1008a. Referring to FIG. 11, the processing performed by the diagnostic system to maintain the status indicator is shown. It can be seen that the process has two parts, each operating substantially simultaneously to update the status indicator of the I / O device. In step 1102, the diagnostic system determines if a state change has occurred. Although depicted as judgment in FIG. 11, it will be appreciated that the mechanism of judgment may be either active (eg, "pull") or passive (eg, "push"). The process of step 1102 is executed until it is determined that the signal from the I / O device has changed, at which point the process proceeds to step 1104 and the status indicator is updated to reflect the change. The process returns from step 1104 to step 1102, which continues to monitor changes in the I / O signal. At the same time, the process of step 1106 determines if a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the last time the status indicator was last updated (based on the last time recorded in step 1104). Processing remains at step 1106 while the judgment is negative. If it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed since the status indicator was last updated, the process proceeds to step 1108, where the status indicator is reset to the default state.

Next, the process of FIG. 11 will be described as an example with reference to FIG. Prior to the first high signal 1004a, the status indicator is in the default state, in this case indicating that the signal 1004 is low. This is depicted in FIG. 10 by showing that the improved diagnostic signal 1008 is low. When the high signal 1004a is output, it is determined that the signal has changed in step 1102, the process proceeds to step 1104, where the status indicator is updated to indicate the reception of the high signal and the update time is recorded. The process returns from step 1104 to step 1102.

For the purposes of this embodiment, between the reception of the high signal 1004a and the reception of the high signal 1004b, the processing of step 1106 does not allow a predetermined period of time to elapse so that the processing remains in step 1106. It is expected to judge. Therefore, at the time of the refresh operation 1002b, since the predetermined period has not yet elapsed, the status indicator still indicates that the high signal has been received. Since the improved diagnostic signal is configured to indicate the state of the status indicator, in the refresh operation 1002b, a portion 1008a of the improved diagnostic signal 1008 is updated to indicate a high signal. Part 1008a is shown as a single line (rather than a filled block) to clarify the depiction and distinction from the diagnostic signal 1006a, while FIG. 10 is merely a schematic and has been improved. It should be understood that it describes the information rather than the specific way of displaying the information content of the diagnosis. Similar to the diagnostic signal 1006, the improved diagnostic signal 1008 further includes a portion 1008b indicating the current value of the I / O signal 1004. Therefore, although the high signal of the I / O signal 1004 has ended, the operator can still determine that the signal 1004a has been received but has passed before the most recent refresh of the display.

As described above, the second high signal 1004b is refreshed so that the second portion 1008b of the improved diagnostic signal is updated to reflect the current state (during refresh) of the I / O signal 1004. Temporarily matches 1002c. In addition, processing 1102 determines that signal 1004b has been received, and in step 1104, the status indicator is updated (maintained in this case) and the update time is recorded.

For the purposes of this embodiment, between the reception of the high signal 1004b and the reception of the high signal 1004c, in the processing of step 1106, a predetermined period has not elapsed so that the processing remains in step 1106. It is expected to judge. Therefore, in the next refresh 1002d, the improved diagnostic signal still indicates that a high signal was received, but here it indicates that the I / O signal was low at refresh 1002d.

For the purposes of this embodiment, between the reception of the high signal 1004c and the refresh 1002e, the process of step 1106 proceeds from step 1106 to step 1108 so that the status indicator is reset to the default state. It is assumed that it is judged that the predetermined period has passed. Therefore, in the refresh 1002e, the diagnostic signal 1008 improved so that both portions 1008a and 1008b show low values is updated.

A diagnostic signal can be provided to the operator by recording the display of the state change over a predetermined period, whereby the operator can more accurately diagnose the current and past state of the I / O signal in the industrial machine. It will be understood from the above that the failure or possibility of failure in the industrial machine can be diagnosed more accurately and in a timely manner.

FIG. 12 shows an example of how an improved diagnostic signal 1008 can be displayed to an operator of an industrial machine. FIG. 12 shows the same I / O signal 1004 and refresh operation 1002 as shown in FIG. 10, but the signals are the standard diagnostic indicator lamp 1014 and an improved diagnostic in a graphical human-machine interface (HMI). The method which can be displayed on the indicator lamp 1016 is shown. In particular, it can be seen that the standard diagnostic indicator lamp operates in one of two modes, "off" 1014a or "on" 1014b. Therefore, the standard diagnostic indicator lamp can represent the information provided by the diagnostic signal 1006. However, in contrast, the "static off" mode 1016a, which indicates that the I / O signal 1004 is low and has not received a high signal within a predetermined period of time in the past, and the I / O signal 1004 are low. However, there is a "change off" mode 1016b, which indicates that the state change was active within a given time in the past, and the signal is high during the last refresh, and the change in the signal during the given time in the past. "Variable on" mode 1016c indicating that An improved diagnostic indicator with four modes of operation with may be provided. In the example of FIG. 12, the "changed" state is indicated by a thick outer ring surrounding the indicator lamp, but any means of displaying additional diagnostic information may be used and turned on / for the last refresh. It will be appreciated that the off state is indicated through the color inside the indicator lamp.

The actual I / O signal 1004 may be reconstructed from the state change diagnostic data and provided to the user interface as the reconstructed I / O signal 1012. In particular, the diagnostic history may be used to display changes in the signal by drawing multiple lines representing the state of the signal. The horizontal coordinates of the line correspond to the relative position of the time when the signal changed compared to the display start time (t _start ) and the display _end time (tend), and the vertical coordinates depend on the state of the signal during that period. do. For example, to display the reconstructed I / O signal 1012 shown in FIG. 10, various time values (t _start , t ₁ to t ₆ ) having positions defined by the state of the signal at the start of each period. , _Tend ), and 13 lines including 7 horizontal lines and 6 vertical lines _{indicating changes in the state in ta to t f may} be drawn. This indication is not outside the capabilities of commercially available programmable HMIs.

The lamp 1016 may be provided, for example, by one or more light bulbs (such as LEDs) or may be part of a user interface generated on a display device such as an LCD display device. Similarly, although the above has been described with reference to System 900, the process described with reference to FIG. 11 may be performed by any convenient method, including one or more FPGA or ASIC methods. Will be understood.

In order to minimize the processing load on the system when monitoring a large number of I / O signals, in some embodiments, the data is a signal, as shown in FIG. 14 (4 bit value example). Rather than being inspected individually, they are inspected in parallel for a group of signals. In some applications, I / O signals can be coupled to 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit or higher values, and changes in these combined values (rather than changes in individual signals) are timed. Stored in the history array along with the stamp. In general, the more bits you monitor, the larger the history array required. For many applications, an array of 128 elements will suffice to record changes in 32 signals.

To enable fast and efficient retrieval and use of diagnostic data, the combined I / O signal values may be stored in the history ring buffer, as shown in FIG. The operation of the I / O signal change buffer may be the same method as described with reference to FIG. 7 in relation to the state machine data. The I / O signal change buffer may store entries for I / O signal data (or I / O signals combined as described above) and the time of their change. The time of the I / O signal change is recorded using the same global timer as the state machine buffer 700 each time the value of the I / O signal (or the value of the combined I / O signal) changes from the previous value. You may.

The diagnostic output signal may be stored in the diagnostic history buffer to minimize the amount of computation required to enable the display of the diagnostic signal that can be viewed in real time. For example, the diagnostic history buffer may include additional first-in first-out data structures (diagnostic FIFOs). The diagnostic FIFO may be updated in parallel with the update of the I / O signal change buffer. The pointer to the diagnostic FIFO determines the current diagnostic output (ie, the current "slot" of the diagnostic FIFO is being output), and the pointer is incremented (also) after a predetermined "diagnostic tick" period. Wrap after being incremented through each slot). The diagnostic tick may be determined based on the diagnostic HMI display period or refresh period (typically, eg, 2 seconds) and the number of slots in the diagnostic FIFO. For example, the diagnostic tick may be the sum of the diagnostic display period and the number of slots, for example, with a 2 second diagnostic update and 4 FIFO slots, each slot is displayed for 0.5 seconds.

Referring again to the example shown in FIG. 14, a subset of the four I / O signals (Signals 1 to 4) are combined into a single diagnostic value with a respective bit of each I / O signal (FIG. 16). Is most clearly drawn and explained below). This single change in diagnostic value within a specified time period is used to modify the data contained in the diagnostic FIFO buffer, and thus the diagnostic signal output to the operator. Especially when a single diagnostic signal changes (eg, as shown in FIG. 14), if this value is non-zero, as detected by the binary XOR results of the current and previous I / O values. It is logically ORed to each slot of the diagnostic FIFO. This allows any change to one of the monitored I / O signals for at least three periods, regardless of how fast it occurs, even for slow-refreshing human-machine interfaces. It is guaranteed that it can be displayed for a while. For each diagnostic tick (ie, at a given frequency), the data stored in the current slot is attenuated (eg, the current slot may be zero), the pointer to the diagnostic FIFO is incremented, and the current display is made. The diagnostics being made are set to the newly indexed slot. This ensures that a single state change is displayed for a longer period of time (up to 4 diagnostic ticks).

Using this method (in particular, diagnostic values were previously generated to determine if new historical values (and associated times) need to be stored in the I / O change buffer. A diagnostic display of 32 (or more) signals can be performed using a 4-slot diagnostic FIFO array, pointer variables and a single timer, while imposing a relatively light load on the system (if any).

FIG. 16 shows an example of changes in the diagnostic signals stored in the diagnostic FIFO for a set of four signals (signals # 0 to # 3) during the period indicated by the vertical timeline on the left side of the figure. Referring to FIG. 16, it can be seen that in the first period (1), there is no change in the monitored I / O signal and the value in each slot of the diagnostic FIFO is "0000". The currently indexed slot is slot 0. At time (2), the change in signal # 2 sets the bit corresponding to signal # 2 in the combined I / O signal value to high. The newly set bit value is ORed to all slots of the diagnostic FIFO. Therefore, the diagnostic output here is "0100". A diagnostic tick occurs at time (3), the currently indexed slot becomes zero, and the pointer is updated to slot 1. The diagnostic output remains "0100".

At time (4), another diagnostic tick occurs, slot 1 becomes zero, and the pointer is incremented to slot 2. The diagnostic output remains "0100". At time (5), the change in I / O signal # 1 sets the bit corresponding to I / O signal # 1 to high, and the newly set bit is ORed to all slots in the diagnostic FIFO. Therefore, slot 0 and slot 1 take the value "0010", and slots 2 and 3 have the value "0110". Therefore, the diagnostic output is "0110". At time (6), the bit corresponding to the I / O signal # 3 is set to high due to the change in the I / O signal # 3, and the newly set bit is ORed to each slot of the FIFO. Therefore, slots 0 and 1 store "1010", and slots 2 and 3 store "1110". Therefore, the diagnostic output is "1110".

At time (7), the diagnostic tick zeros the currently indexed slot 2 and increments the pointer to slot 3. Therefore, the diagnostic output remains "1110". At time (8), the diagnostic tick zeros slot 3 and the pointer wraps back to slot 0. Therefore, the diagnostic output here is "1010". At time (9), the diagnostic output remains "1010" because the further diagnostic tick zeros slot 0 and increments the pointer to slot 1. At time 10, the diagnostic tick zeros slot 1 and increments the pointer to slot 2. Here, the diagnostic output (and actually the values of all the slots in the diagnostic FIFO) is "0000".

Using historical change data stored for various state machines and I / O in the system to be diagnosed, the operation of the machine is monitored and compared with the data extracted when the system is operating at the optimum performance. It is possible to determine where variations occur in the process.

Referring to FIG. 13, the sprocket supply state machine 500 described above is displayed together with the supply solenoid output signal and the nose switch input signal. The display of FIG. 13 is generated from various state change events stored in the respective histories of the sprocket supply state machine, the supply solenoid output signal and the nose switch input signal. Signals from various sources in the system may be displayed between any two time indexes, depending on the amount of data available, as each is stored in a global time reference. For example, in FIG. 13, the human eye and brain are particularly adapted to pick up patterns in this type of data display, thus variability in the data caused by normal or slow feed processes or failed feed processes. It is possible to see. In some embodiments, the movable cursor lines 1204a and 1204b are superimposed on the output to selectively display the time intervals between different operations in the system. The cursor may automatically snap to the time when the state or I / O signal changes to make user interaction more efficient.

In some configuration examples, the occurrence of a failure condition automatically produces a copy of the history contents of all relevant state machines and I / O signal data along with the corresponding time stamp each time a failure condition occurs. It may be triggered. In this way, the maximum state quantity of the system just before the failure can be captured for analysis. Referring again to FIG. 13, the data for the depicted display may be from a single source, but all data in the system uses synchronized time values. Being time stamped, it would be possible to show how to visually inspect any monitored signal or state change with reference to any other monitored signal or state in the system. In the example shown in FIG. 17, it can be seen that changes in the I / O history can be seen on a common display along with the state machine history of multiple different parts of the industrial system. Further, the control signal and the state signal passing between the controlled system, in this case, the rivet system and the control system such as a robot or an industrial controller are also treated as I / O signals and are the same as the internal I / O. It should be noted that it may be processed in a way. This makes it easy to see the timing interactions between the various state machines and their associated I / O and control signals.

The techniques described herein further make it possible to superimpose signals of different time periods in order to more easily accentuate timing changes, as shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to more easily visualize the variation in a complicated operation sequence, and it is possible to quickly determine the cause of the failure and the variation indicating that the operation of the system is deteriorated. This analysis can be performed on the machine using data transferred to a built-in user interface or a remote diagnostic system with improved functionality. These comparisons are automatically scheduled to ensure that the machine operates at optimal performance levels and minimizes the number of unplanned outages.

By visualizing changes in the behavior of system components over time, it is possible to more easily evaluate the performance of non-essential components and extend the PM or replacement period based on actual performance. Most components that operate within their normal performance do not require excessive maintenance or other adjustments that may result in performance degradation, but conversely show signs of performance degradation in the system. Components that do not meet the PM level can benefit from being tuned or replaced prior to their original limits in order to return the entire system to a more optimal performance level. When maintenance is performed on a component of the system, the associated signal can be compared to both the initially specified performance and the performance level immediately before maintenance. By optimizing the maintenance level of the system, we ensure that the entire system is operating at the required level with the appropriate amount of maintenance, and further guarantee the optimum installation life of the subcomponents of the system.

Although some exemplary embodiments have been described so far, it is clear that the above are exemplary, not limiting, and are presented as examples. In particular, many of the examples presented herein include specific combinations of method actions or system elements, but these actions and these elements are combined differently to achieve the same goal. May be good. The acts, elements and features described in relation to only one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from similar roles or embodiments in other embodiments.

Any reference to an embodiment or element or act of a system and method referred to herein singularly may include an embodiment comprising a plurality of these elements, and any embodiment or element herein. Alternatively, any plurality of references to an act may include embodiments that include only a single element. References in the singular or plural are not intended to limit the currently disclosed systems or methods, their components, acts or elements to a single or plural configuration. The reference that any act or element is based on any information, act or element may include embodiments in which the act or element is at least partially based on any information, act or element.

Where reference numerals are attached to the drawings, detailed description or technical features of the claims, the reference numerals are included to enhance the clarity of the drawings, detailed description and claims. Therefore, neither the reference code nor its absence has the effect of limiting the scope of the claims element.

The embodiments are not limited to the systems and methods described, but are exemplary. Accordingly, the scope of the systems and methods described herein is indicated by the appended claims rather than the above description.

Claims (29)

It is a method of diagnosing the failure of industrial machinery.
The step of identifying the first state associated with the industrial machine and
A step of identifying at least one second state associated with the industrial machine based on the first state.
For each of the identified second states, a step of determining the state time associated with the second state, and
Based on the at least one second state and each said state time, it is determined that the industrial machine has spent a period different from the predetermined period in at least one of the at least one second state. Steps to determine failure indicator conditions according to
A step of generating diagnostic information including said one of the at least one second state in response to the determination of the failure indication.
A method of diagnosing a failure of an industrial machine, comprising the step of outputting the diagnostic information in the user interface of the industrial machine. The step of maintaining the history of the state and the associated state time during the operation of the industrial machine further includes the step of identifying the second state and the state time associated with the second state of the state. The method of claim 1, comprising identifying the second state and associated state time from history and associated state time. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising copying the contents of a predetermined number of data entries in the history of the state and associated state time in response to the determination of the failure indicator condition. The state time associated with each of the at least one second state is based on the value of the global timer at the time of transition to the second state, which is the operation of all the industrial machines. The method of claim 1, 2 or 3, which is used by the industrial machine to synchronize. The user interface further includes a step of generating a display of the state history of the industrial machine, wherein the state history includes the current state of the industrial machine, the state activated after the current state, and before the current state. The method of any one of claims 1-4, comprising a state that was active in and a state time associated with said current state. 5. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying the user interface on a human-machine interface of the industrial machine or a diagnostic system attached directly or remotely to the machine. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein the user interface comprises displaying a transition path that the industrial machine follows to reach the current state. 13. the method of. The method of claim 8, which is dependent on claim 2, wherein maintenance of the state history and associated state time is continued after the selection of the state forced user interface element during the operation of the industrial machine. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the step of generating a diagnostic output comprises processing the second state and state time information to generate an output indicating the timing of the state transition. .. The time calculation user interface further comprises a step of providing a time calculation user interface element configured to be displayed with the output indicating the timing of the state transition, the time calculation user interface being two in the output in which the operator indicates the timing of the state transition. 10. The method of claim 10, configured to select a position and allow the period between the two selected positions to be output. The step of identifying the change in the I / O signal associated with the industrial machine and
A step of assigning a value indicating a change to the status indicator associated with the I / O signal, wherein the assignment is configured to last for a predetermined period of time.
A step of generating diagnostic information including the display of the current value of the I / O signal and the current value of the status indicator.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a step of outputting a diagnostic output based on the diagnostic information in the user interface of the industrial machine. It is a method of diagnosing the failure of industrial machinery.
The step of identifying the change in the I / O signal associated with the industrial machine and
A step of assigning a value indicating a change to the status indicator associated with the I / O signal, wherein the assignment is configured to last for a predetermined period of time.
A step of generating diagnostic information including the display of the current value of the I / O signal and the current value of the status indicator.
A method of diagnosing a failure of an industrial machine, comprising the step of outputting a diagnostic output based on the diagnostic information to the user interface of the industrial machine. 12. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the step of generating diagnostic information is performed at each refresh interval of the human-machine interface of the industrial machine. 14. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined period is longer than the refresh rate of the human-machine interface of the industrial machine. The method of any one of claims 12-15, further comprising the step of resetting the status indicator associated with the I / O signal after the predetermined time has elapsed. The step of outputting the diagnostic information in the user interface of the industrial machine includes outputting the diagnostic information using an indicator having four operation modes, the four operation modes.
A first mode indicating that the I / O signal is low and has not received a high signal within a predetermined period in the past.
A second mode in which the I / O signal is low, but a state change has occurred within the predetermined period in the past, and
A third mode in which the I / O signal is high and a state change has occurred during the predetermined period in the past.
The method of any one of claims 12-16, comprising a fourth mode indicating that the I / O signal is high and has not changed during the predetermined period of the past. The I / O signal is one of a plurality of I / O signals, the status indicator associated with the I / O signal is associated with the plurality of I / O signals, and the diagnostic information is The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, indicating a change in any one of the plurality of I / O signals. Further comprising maintaining a diagnostic signal history buffer for the plurality of I / O signals, the diagnostic signal history buffer is configured to provide a history display of changes in any of the plurality of I / O signals. The method according to claim 18. The diagnostic signal history buffer contains a plurality of slots, each slot containing an entry for each of the plurality of I / O signals, and each of the slots contains the plurality of I / O at different time points in the past. Represents the state of the signal
The diagnostic output is based on a slot in the diagnostic signal history buffer referenced by the index, and the index is updated to refer to the next slot of the slot in the diagnostic signal history buffer at a predetermined frequency. 19. The method of claim 19. 20. The method of claim 20, further comprising a step of attenuating the display of changes in the plurality of I / O signals stored in at least one of the slots at the predetermined frequency. 21. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of attenuating the display of changes in the plurality of I / O signals stored in the slot comprises resetting the value stored in the slot. The diagnostic information includes bits for each of the plurality of I / O signals, each slot of the diagnostic signal history buffer contains bits for each of the plurality of I / O signals, the method.
The diagnostic information is stored in each slot by logically combining the diagnostic information with the value stored in the slot in response to the generation of diagnostic information indicating a change in at least one of the plurality of I / O signals. The step to update the value and
22. The method of claim 22, further comprising resetting the value of the currently indexed slot. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the predetermined frequency is based on the total number of slots in the diagnostic signal history buffer and the refresh period of the human-machine interface of the industrial machine. The method of any one of claims 12-24, wherein the step of assigning a value indicating the change to the status indicator further comprises storing the time associated with the change. 25. The method of claim 25, wherein storing the time associated with the change comprises recording the time indicated by the global timer at the time of the change. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the industrial machine is a rivet machine, an adhesive dispensing machine or a flow drill system. A system for diagnosing a failure of an industrial machine, comprising a controller and a memory for storing computer-readable instructions configured to cause the controller to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-27. An industrial machine comprising the system according to claim 28.

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